TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2022.06.18

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2022.06.18 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers, written by Vicki Simons for the week ending June 18, 2022.

We welcome your comments, thoughts and feedback on the items of your choice below.

TDMST Weekly Round-Up

1. Regarding pay, tolls, taxes, excise tax, UCR fee, and inflation:

Pay

  • Driver Inc. business model deprives workers of basic rights: O’Regan

    Quote: “A four-point test determines whether someone is actually an independent contractor, covering control over work, the ownership of tools, the chance of profit and the risk of loss. Other signs of misclassified employees include company uniforms, decals on tractors, and whether drivers have to follow company policies and procedures.”

  • Truck drivers lost $4.8 trillion through overtime rules

    Quote: “Even though the FLSA guaranteed overtime pay to many workers, the same law has a motor carrier exemption, which says ‘any employee with respect to whom the Secretary of Transportation has the power to establish qualifications and maximum hours’ is not guaranteed overtime pay.”

    DAT TruckersEdge - Most Loads. Best Rates. Serving Owner-Operators Since 1978. 10% off your first 12 months. New customers only.

    The exemption in the Fair Labor Standards Act, in my opinion, prevents truckers from being paid “fairly,” and needs to be updated.

    If you agree, please contact your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators about this.


Tolls


Taxes


Excise tax

If you believe that the excise tax needs to be repealed, please contact your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators.


UCR fee

If you believe that action needs to be taken on the UCR fee, please contact your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators.


Inflation

 

2. Regarding accident, fatality, alcohol, and drugs:

Accident


Fatality

We extend our condolences to the families of those who died.


Alcohol

Never, ever drink something alcoholic before you drive any vehicle. Period.


Drugs

Never, ever take or haul illegal drugs before you drive any vehicle. Period.

 

3. Regarding fuel, oil, autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, idling, and emissions:

Fuel


Oil


Autonomous vehicles

I most vigorously oppose the use of self-driving, autonomous, or driverless commercial motor vehicles on the same roads as the motoring pubic, but share these as a courtesy to help you stay informed.


Electric vehicles


Idling


Emissions

 

4. Regarding inspections, operations, crossovers, business, insurance, and retention:

Inspections

If you keep yourself and your rig perpetually ready for an inspection at any time, you won’t be caught off-guard.


Operations

  • VIDEO: Which driver is more in the wrong here?

    The video does not state where this incident took place or what the speed limit is.

    The driver of the red truck (recording video) is said to be going 56 mph, although I cannot see that verification on the video.

    Supposedly, the video caption (which I never saw) said this, “The white truck took out to pass him on the end of passing lanes and the red truck would not let him.”

    Well, if the passing lanes ended, that should have been the end of the attempt to pass.

    If the driver of the red truck was doing the speed limit the entire time, then it follows that the driver of the white truck was speeding in order to try to pass.

    It is reasonable — although certainly not required — for a driver going more slowly, to allow another driver driving faster to pass.

    It is clearly illegal for anyone to pass on a double solid-yellow line!

    The driver of the white truck attempted to force the driver of the red truck to either move over on the shoulder or slow down and allow the pass to complete — which is clearly a type of bullying on the road.

    This type of behavior can lead to road rage.

    It is only by the grace of God that no other vehicle was coming from the other direction because if there had been, the driver of the white truck could have been involved in a head-on accident!

    Toward the end of the video, the driver of the red truck was seen going more quickly than the driver of the white truck, but I cannot tell if that is because both of them were climbing a hill and the white truck was heavier.

    In my opinion, this video leaves out some crucial information.

    While I appreciate that the driver of the white truck wanted to pass the driver of the red truck, it is never right to attempt illegal maneuvers to accomplish that.

    How should this situation have been resolved?

    If it was clear that the driver of the white truck would not have slowed down the driver of the red truck after a pass, it would have been kind for the driver of the red truck to slow down a little to let the driver of the white truck to pass.


Crossovers


Business


Insurance


Retention

 

5. Regarding climate change, border, vax, and limiters:

Climate change

  • Climate change is disrupting the trucking industry

    According to a May 11, 2022, article entitled Environmental impact of battery-electric Class 8 trucks:

    Quote from article
    (second paragraph appears to be the image description and third paragraph appears to be the image explanation):
    —–
    The report found that while diesel trucks produce more CO2 emissions during operation, diesel far outshines both battery-electric and fuel-cell electric trucks in emissions associated with the vehicles’ production.

    CO2 emissions during vehicle production

    Internal combustion engines are by far the lowest polluters during the vehicle production process. Mining for and producing the lithium-ion batteries required for battery-electric trucks drives up their CO2 emissions.
    —–


Border


Vax


Limiters

 

6. Regarding technology and drones:

Technology


Drones

 

7. Regarding economy, employment, and rates:

Economy


Employment


Rates

 

8. Regarding weather and fire:

Weather


Fire

 

9. Regarding trains, truckers, and trucking industry:

Trains


Truckers


Trucking industry

 

10. Regarding ports, supply chain, recall, risk, and roads:

Ports


Supply chain


Recall


Risk


Roads

 

11. Regarding parking, Ocean Shipping Reform Act, innovation, and last mile:

Parking


Ocean Shipping Reform Act

According to one of the articles below, American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear was quoted as saying:

“This bill provides important tools to address unjustified and illegal fees collected from American truckers by the ocean shipping cartel — fees that have contributed to the shipping lines raking in $150 billion in profits just last year. Those fees hurt American motor carriers and consumers, helping to drive record inflation.”

Do you agree or disagree?

Please share your thoughts with us through the form below. Thanks!


Innovation


Last mile

 

12. Regarding awards:

Thanks to those who helped out their fellow human being in a time of need:

We look forward to seeing who will be nominated for and then win various contests.

We applaud truckers who were recognized for their skills:

 

My husband Mike and I wish you — and all professional truck drivers — safe travels and lots of money saving opportunities on the road.








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